“Brannten Schnüre is an experimental dark folk group out of Würzburg, Germany. Christian Schoppik composes and plays all the music and Katie Rich whispers, recites, and sings. Together they make astoundingly beautiful folk with rich instrumentation leaning toward the atonal spectrum. Instrumental wanderings stand alongside Nico-esque poetry tales. Schoppik plays the accordion and, on some songs, guitar and flute. Inspired by hierophants like Nový Svět and David Jackman, solemn song fragments (a lot of old Greek rebetika recordings) are modified and looped, with additional instruments and voices integrated later on. Their music has been described as "surreal folkcollage" and "German hauntology." With the 2010 emergence of Schoppiks second project, a Dada cabaret called Agnes Beil, Brannten Schnüre moved closer to the song structures of its frivolous sibling. The voluptuousSommer im Pfirsichhain (Summer in the Peachgrove), with its atmosphere of sticky, tense midsummer, is the second part of a quartet of releases, following the 2014 cassette Aprilnacht (SicSic) and precedingGeträumt hab ich vom Martinszug and part four. Reference points include Winter Family and TwinSisterMoon. Music etched on folkloric, ritual elements transferred into the 21st century. Also worth mentioning is the hand-drawn artwork by artist Gwénola Carrère.” - Aguirre.

2010 release. "Relax and imagine yourself hovering above the returning current, submerged in the presence of universal water." Josh Burke continues his endeavor into new age. With relaxing synths, and the occasional outbreak, the man behind Sky Limousine and the illustre Midnight Star Media takes you to space and back in just over 30 minutes. Iasos seems to have been watching over his shoulder when recording this album. There are some faster, more layered tracks varied with some bare, minimal, classical new age tracks. It makes the perfect mix and relaxing listening experience. Comes with an insert and released in an edition of 330." -Aguirre.

"Aguirre Records present Ian William Craigs Meaning Turns to Whispers. Ian is a trained opera singer and painter out of Vancouver, Canada. Over the last few years he has proved to be one of the most original artists active in the ambient/experimental genre. His debut A Turn Of Breath (2014) and the follow-up, Cradle For The Wanting (2015) received high acclaim. Meaning Turns to Whispers is a combination of piano improvisations and FM feedback loops, recorded over various winters from 2009 to 2011 and edited down, manipulated and degraded to reveal some of their hidden spaces. The discreet piano layers mixed with waves of white noise are intriguing making you long for more. Meaning Turns to Whispers is a record rooted in a gorgeous neo-classical tradition, but totally fucked up by tape manipulations that made it anything but pretty. For Craig, the use of reel-to-reels is a way of decaying sentimentality: any time his music has come too close to meeting his expectations, he uproots it, creating impervious walls or bursts of modest but stupefying noise. In choice moments on Meaning, you can hear Craig trying to imagine the lived lives of his inanimate instruments; you hear him beam down on the piano, its wooden infrastructure revealed, sounding like it has its own set of motivations. "I was living with my sister in Edmonton, and during the ridiculously cold winter, I gutted her piano and micd it up in a whole bunch of weird ways. I recorded probably twenty hours of material, and after listening to it I was amazed at how much it sounded like sentimental crap. At that point I was really trying to express something, and afterwards I thought the only way through would be to destroy the recordings, and thats what Meaning Turns To Whispers is. Its completely mangled to remove that struggle for expression. I realized at the end of that album that I didnt want to express, I just wanted to explore." Mastered by Sean McCann at Recital. Lacquer cut by Christoph Grote-Beverborg at Dubplates & Mastering. Edition of 500." - Aguirre.
Meaning Turns to Whispers by Ian William Craig

"Kudos to Lieven Martens of Dolphins Into The Future for bringing J.D. Emmanuel back into the spotlight. In 2007, Lieven dug up the masterpiece album Wizards and re-issued it on his own label. A few years later, in 2011, J.D. was asked to tour through Europe where he was accompanied by Dolphins Into The Future and Paul LaBrecque. Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, and Holland welcomed J.D. and the people attending the concerts knew they were in for an electronic blast from the past. This 2LP set covers the tour with a great deal of unreleased live tracks. The live recordings show J.D.s phenomenal skill to create a universe of swirling and constantly turning sounds. Hes up there in the big league of early electronic and new age pioneers with the likes of Iasos, Laurie Spiegel, and Trans-Millenia Consort. Some words from the man himself: "After my European tour, I decided to use the name Time Traveler to describe my music because it can put the listener into a state where time seems to disappear. This is my goal with my music, to create an altered state for expanding consciousness." With Hawaiian-inspired artwork, just like J.D.s colorful character, and of course, his T-shirts. Includes a glossy double-sided insert. Mastered by J.D. Emmanuel. Pressed @ Handle With Care, Berlin. Limited edition of 500 copies." - Aguirre.

"2015 repress of the 2011 reissue of the original 1986 cassette. Pressing of 400 copies on 180-gram vinyl in full-color thick cardboard sleeve. Created between 1981 and 1985 by JD Emmanuel, a new age composer who has received a lot of praise from people like Lieven Martens and John Olsen. These recordings signify Emmanuels praise to the course of the day. Starting off slowly with morning synth meanderings, walking through midday, running in the evening, and closing the day with midnight meditation. "Somewhere hidden in the deepest part of the Self is that special place, where One can go within to the most ancient part of ones Self and connect with the origin of Self. Ancient Minimal Meditations reaches into that special place of creation of the Self and its Oneness with the Creator of All." Recorded using three Sequential Circuits Pro-One synthesizers and a Yamaha SK-20 Poly-Synthesizer. 100% analog sound. Mastered by JD Emmanuel." - Aguirre. Highly recommended!

"Aguirre Records present a reissue of the 1981 debut album by new age pioneer JD Emmanuel, Rain Forest Music. Texan musician JD Emmanuels career story is, in a way, a story about how the passion of fans can make a difference and about a gifted musician whose music may have been lost to the ages. The tale begins in 2005 when Douglas Mcgowan stumbled on several dusty boxes of two JD Emmanuel vinyl albums -- several hundred of them, all still sealed -- at a discount book and record store in North Dallas, Texas. Mcgowan purchased 50 copies and took them back to the west coast. This discovery set in motion a chain of events that led to a series of reissues and Emmanuels return to recording and performing in 2010. The majority of JD Emmanuels studio recordings date from the 1980s, when new age music in America was still an indie scene. Whether you call his albums new age or not, the meditative vibe, spiritual underpinnings and self-releasing are all hallmarks of the genre. Yet his cyclic, organ-based music is different from most of his contemporaries of that era. Back in 1970, he was deeply impressed by his first taste of classical minimalism when he heard American minimalist composers Terry Riley and Steve Reich. He was also attracted to the improvisations of modern jazz and long-form rock jams. Minimalism and improvisation, then, became the foundations of his art, and the evocation of trance-like states his goal. In 1980, with his newly acquired Crumar Traveler-1 organ, analog synths, guitar, and various effects, he began building a body of warm, melodic, usually stripped-back ambient trance with a unique mystical vibe. On Rain Forest Music he builds gentle, short cycles of notes into floating clouds of sound, mostly improvising around single chords. The "minimalism" in his music lies not in repetitive patterns that barely change -- the extreme end of classical minimalism -- but more in the spare arrangements. Theres also an open, loving optimism to the melodies that has obvious appeal to new age listeners. The album cover is from an original water color created for the LP in 1981 by Houston artist, Molly Khan. 180 gram vinyl; Printed inner sleeve; Remastered by Rashad Becker; Lacquer cut by Rashad Becker; Cover reconstruction by Jeroen Wille; Edition of 1000." - Aguirre.

"New LP with two looong Improvised tracks by Justin Wright, recorded during his tour last fall 2010. The A side was recorded at Zebulon Bar, New York with accompanying visuals of the film Fantastic Planet. The B side is a live performance from KJFC in California. Dedicated to the open road and lush landscapes of Earth, you are a great wonder. Full color thick cardboard sleeves, 160gr. vinyl." - Aguirre. Limited edition of 400 copies.

"Aguirre Records present a reissue and the first vinyl release of James Ferraros Rerex, originally released in 2009. James Ferraro is an experimental musician, composer and virtual atmospherist born in Bronx, New York. Ferraro has released material under a wide array of aliases, and was a member of the Californian two-piece avant-garde project The Skaters. His album Far Side Virtual (2011) was chosen as "Album of the Year" by the UKs Wire Magazine in 2011. Ferraro has been producing small runs of releases on cassette, CD-R, and VHS with a wide variety of styles all representing different dreams of a demonic mind tower spanning from freak flesh bodybuilder atmospheres to ambient modern world/psych. First on New Age Tapes and later on MuscleWork Inc., self-run cassette/CD-R labels primarily used for releasing small runs of his solo work. In the summer of 2009, Ferraro composed and recorded the "Summer Headrush Series" in Antwerp, Belgium for Musclework Inc. The series is loosely based on visualizations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia (aka, choking oneself) or as its commonly called "free fall". The albums being representatives of the free fall head space. Other albums from the Headrush Series are: Body Fusion 1 and 2, iAsia, Wild World, Son of Dracula and Hacker Track. The Rerex album is vintage hypnagogic Ferraro and with its length (almost three hours), it may be considered a "magnum opus" of his. Using cheap casio keyboards, loops, effects and difficult to trace samples, Ferraro creates a slightly haunting but oh-so beautiful musical world. Please use headphones for a dynamic HD headphone experience. Artwork by James Ferraro. Mastered and lacquer cut by Christoph Grote-Beverborg at Dubplates & Mastering. Lay-out by Jeroen Wille. Edition of 500." - Aguirre.

"An early and one of the most special Gnod recordings is out now on Aguirre. The Somnambulists Tale consists of two side-long adventurous pieces which are carried by an incredible loop. The haunting ambience in combination with electronics, distant guitar layers, conversations between the band members, a typewriter, and other sounds from found objects makes this quite an atypical Gnod release, but definitely a great one. Influenced by early Krautrock bands like Can, Hawkwind, and Ash Ra Tempel, Gnod brings us back to those days, adding twisted sounds and strange lyrics to the whole, delivering a truly mesmerizing psychedelic drone record. Gnod is a British Krautrock band from Salford, England. Formed in 2006, the band is a collective with an ever-rotating list of members. They run experimental electronic live nights in Salford called Gesamtkunstwerk (German for "whole arts work") where they offer "outsider electronics, hardwarped machine rhythms and analog debauchery, all reflecting the post-industrial mill space." They have a punky belief in the dissolution of the boundary between artist and audience to the extent that it is not unlikely to find gig-goers onstage, adding to the instrumental melée. Artwork by Fliss Horrocks. Matte finishing. Pressed at Handle With Care, Berlin in a limited edition of 500 copies." -Aguirre.

“Imagine you find yourself wandering places unreal, lost and desperate, only to have it gradually dawn in you, youve been laying waste the invisible lands in your mind. Your desperateness becomes amazement as you start paving paths to link and sync barren levels of reality and start to familiarize with different formless and shape-shifting entities manifesting as inhabitants of apparently different inner worlds. You are being prepared for a major evolutionary phase-shift regarded unreal and I believe that is what future life is about, the differences in realities, and their level of importance in the whole picture. Part 1: simulations (untitled 1-2-3-4), Part 2: reflections (untitled 5-6-7-8)." - Aguirre.

"Hans Dens second vinyl offering on Aguirre with more synthcrapings and zonked adventures in lo-fi music. Following up his 7 inch on NNA tapes and an LP on Release The Bats Hans continues to search and destroy. Loads of damaged audio and otherworldy synth bubblles spread over 11 tracks. No need to look at your watch, time has become infinitive." - Aguirre.

“Komodo Haunts is the psychedelic drone solo project of Ollie Tutty(aka Mt. Tjhris), from Lincolnshire, UK. With his music he explores drone structure, sonic textures, meditative zones, and personal fictions. Making use of analog and digital technologies; tape jams playing on human familiarity, natural ambiances, faux-exotica, mythologies, "reality therapy." Taking inspiration from drone masters and new-age wanderers, the Suijin album is all about getting into "the zone" and could be the soundtrack to an unreleased Tarkovsky movie. Building up from a basis of minimalistic stylings in the vein of Terry Rileys Persian Surgery Dervishes and adding rich instrumental and vocal layers later. Notes onSuijin/notes on water: liquid forms; Suijin, the Shinto god of water -- water as a force -- the symbolic status of water -- people-water relationship. Instruments range from shifting tape loops to reverb-laden electric guitar and dark synths, human voice, wind, distorted bass, ceramic ocarina, acoustic strings, processed electronics, and oscillating waves. Artwork by Tutty. Glossy finishing. Limited to 250 copies.” - Aguirre.

"Lichen Gumbo is a lo-fi underground rock band from Finland. Boilin was recorded during a week of seclusion in a small cabin deep in the woods with no running water and at home during an exceptional heat wave hitting Finland in 2014, hence the Boilin title for this album of hazy tunes. The selected songs range from Throbbing Gristle hits to a more noisy garage style. Mixing heavily distorted drums and guitars, vocals varying in style going from garage, no wave to totally deranged, and synth bubbles which sound like theyre recorded straight from the water surface of hot springs (or perhaps they just borrowed a Moog from Acid Mothers Temple). Lichen Gumbo are Olli Aarni and Ville Oinonen. Olli has been recording under his own name since 2011 and mostly works with electronic sounds. He has released music as Ous Mal and Nuojuva. Ville joins him for the lo-fi ride that is Lichen Gumbo. Hand-assembled sleeves; Artwork by Olli Aarni, Ville Oinonen and Mia Tarkela; Mastering by Kris Delacourt; Edition of 150." - Aguirre.

"2011 release. Collage of continuous sound recordings, created for two expos by Ada Van Hoorebeke. Re-worked for release on vinyl in March 2011 by Lieven Martens of Dolphins Into The Future. Mastered on VHS. Housed in a gatefold cover. Limited to 500 copies. Includes three inserts. Pressed on 160 gram vinyl. Cover artwork by Ada Van Hoorebeke." -Aguirre.

"2011 release. Second vinyl release The Capital by rising drone star Sean McCann. These recordings prove -- once again -- his ability to keep his stretched-out and richly-textured ambient drones right on track. The A-side opens with synth spirals and ecstatic sounds -- theres no going back now. The B-side is full of violin explorations and lo-fi field recordings. This is an amazing effort by one of Earths most promising musicians." -Aguirre.

"2011 release. This split LP sees the man/wife duo of Grant and Rachel Evans performing under their own solo projects. In recent years they have released a bunch of awesome tapes and CD-Rs on their label Hooker Vision. They also record and perform as drone-duo Quiet Evenings. This record was created to celebrate the crystal anniversary of the couple. And indeed, on both sides Grant and Rachel create sounds which sound like the perfect marriage. With stunningly beautiful collage artwork by Grant Evans. Mastered by Lawrence English." -Aguirre.

"Welcome to the wondrous world of Eva Van Deurens one-girl project Orphan Fairytale. She creates a fairy-like, mystic and hypnotizing sound-world using only self-made electronics, toy instruments, cassette loops and small keyboards. The music shows a great deal of playfulness. Dream-like patterns are enriched by carefully-placed notes and tones. After almost 10 years of performing and recording, the time has come for a round-up and Aguirre is happy to present a wonderful set of four side-long pieces. The 2LP set consists of delicate, twinkling tunes recorded during the period of 2008-2011, wherein Eva shows an admirable creativity, coalescing minimalism, new age, psychedelic and repetitive sounds. Never too far away from contemporary fellow artists like Dolphins Into The Future, Innercity, and Panabrite, with whom she shares a certain ambience. Originating from Antwerp, Belgium, Eva Van Deuren grew up in a flourishing Belgian music scene and has released cassettes on numerous independent cassette labels -- Audiobot, Beniffer Editions and Sloow Tapes, just to name a few. In the summer of 2007, she was even asked to open for Sonic Youth, and Thurston Moore became very fond of her music. After that she released full albums on Ultra Eczema and Blackest Rainbow. Artwork by Johan and Hannah. Pressed at Handle With Care, Berlin. Includes a pink double-sided insert. High-gloss finishing. Limited edition of 500 copies." -Aguirre.

"The classic minimal music album, available again on vinyl for the first time since the 70s. Primed with a glass of cognac, Charlemagne Palestine sits at the keyboard of a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano. One foot firmly holds down the sustain pedal while both hands perform an insistent strum-like alternation on the keys. Soon Palestine and his Bösendorfer are enveloped in sound and bathed in a shimmering haze of multi-colored overtones. For 45 minutes, this rich pulsating music swells and intensifies, filling the air. When Strumming Music first appeared on the adventurous French label Shandar during the mid-1970s, it seemed a straightforward matter to place Charlemagne Palestine in the so-called minimalist company of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, whose work also featured in the Shandar catalog. Palestine too used a deliberately restricted range of materials and a repetitive technique, but as he has often pointed out in more recent times, the opulent fullness of his music would more accurately be described as maximalist. Strumming Music, recorded in Palestines own loft in Manhattan, has no written score. In an age of recorded sound he still feels no need for traditional notation. The surging energy of this particular recording stands comparison with the improvising of jazz visionaries who impressed and inspired him while living in New York as a young man. But, as Palestine himself has made clear, primarily he brings to music-making the sensibility of an artist rather than a musician. Although the technique of the piece has roots in Palestines daily practice, when a teenager, of playing the carillon at a church, hammering sonorous chimes from a rack of tuned bells, it also draws on his later work as a body artist, staging vigorously muscular, physically demanding and often reckless performances. In addition, Strumming Music can be heard as a sculptural tour de force, while its textures connect with the color moods, plastic rhythms, and tactile space of Mark Rothkos abstract expressionist canvases. Strumming Music remains the essential index of Palestines singular creative vision. Fundamentally this fascinating piece is a collaboration between an artist and an instrument. Palestine had first encountered the Bösendorfer Imperial back in 1969. "The Bösendorfer at its best is a very noisy, thick molasses piano," he has remarked. Charlemagne Palestine embraced its clinging sonorousness, its clangorous resonance and out of that embrace came the voluptuous sonic fabric of Strumming Music." - Aguirre.

"Panabrite is the solo project of Seattle-based Norman Chambers, utilizing analog synthesis, vintage drum machines, various effects and occasional guitar. Inspired by science fiction, new age music, soundtracks and library production music, nature/science documentaries, and vintage electronic sounds. His first LP release Sub Aquatic Meditation is an exciting record replete with underwater tunes. The outer space & the deep blue sea collide into two sides of spellbinding adventures reminiscent of the early work of Oneohtrix Point Never, Jürgen Müller and Dolphins Into The Future. Panabrite works in the hazy, analog synth-laden zone between kosmische drift and new age waft. He launches beatless symphonies of fibrillating, smeared whorls and drones that make you feel like the star of a weird nature documentary or a sci-fi blockbuster from 1977. Chambers excels at evoking both the intimate and the epic with his scrupulously wrought arpeggios and ostinatos. Norm also runs the fantastic Lunar Atrium blog and has previously released tapes and CD-Rs on Digitalis, Hobo Cult Records, Cylindrical Habitat Modules and Gift Tapes." -Aguirre.

"Aguirre Records present a reissue of Maggi Paynes challenging electronic album Crystal, originally released in 1986. Maggi Payne is an American composer, flutist, video artist, and co-director of the Center for Contemporary Music, Mills College where she teaches recording engineering, composition, and electronic music. Her work involves electroacoustic, instrumental, and vocal works along with works involving visuals, including dancers outfitted with electroluminescent wire and videos she creates using images ranging from nature to the abstract. She has composed music for dance, theatre, and video. Crystal was first released in 1986 on the Lovely Music label. Home to experimental musicians such as Robert Ashley, David Behrman, Pauline Oliveros, and Alvin Lucier. On Crystal, flute, spoken voice, sonifications, and synthesizers are processed to create dense and massive structures. Maggi Paynes musical imagination is vivid: she is interested in the surreal, the inward, the micro, and the accumulation of physical and psychological tension. Periods of silence gently evolve into flowing drones of complex resonances. Oozing drones evolve into dense and powerful peaks of short duration. The compositions and sounds on Crystal have incredible depth, a profound logic and, though not "pretty", an irresistible beauty. 180 gram vinyl; Remastered and cut at 45rpm by Rashad Becker; Gatefold sleeve with liner notes by the artist; Artwork by Atelier Brenda." - Aguirre.

Maggi Payne on Crystal: "I create immersive environments, inviting listeners/participants to enter the sound and be carried with it, experiencing it from the inside out in intimate detail. The sounds are almost tactile, visible, tangible. A narrative of the imagination exists, allowing each person experiencing the work to thread their own paths through their minds imagination and their bodys physical engagement. Each sound slowly unfolds, revealing intricacies and complexity. Each grows and evolves like crystals forming under the microscope. . . . I visualize the sound as originating from, for instance, a point source below where one is standing, then it swirls outward and upward in an ever-expanding spiral until it disappears high over the listeners head, morphing as it travels. Spatialization is not imposed when mixing, but is instead created in the original recording by increasing the amplitude of the sound on one track then decreasing its amplitude as the identical frequency is matched on the next track while it is increasing its amplitude, dovetailing the tracks across the space. Using extensive multi-tracking, the spatialization is retained, architecting and sculpting the aural space so that multiple perspectives and trajectories coexist."

"Pulse Emitter joins the Aguirre catalog with a stunning album full of clear cosmic tones for the new space age. Aeons, as the title suggests, is about different periods in time. "Pangaea" is ancient earth, "Hermits" is based on a panel of the Ghent Altarpiece representing Renaissance Europe, "Spaceship" is the future, and "Immortality" is an even more distant future where consciousness has been uploaded to computers and people live without bodies. Pulse Emitter (Daryl Groetsch from Portland, Oregon) began working with synthesizers while in music school in the 90s and took the Pulse Emitter name in 2003, creating synthesizer pads and patterns which drift through cosmic and nature settings. A veteran of the noise scene of the mid-2000s, the music has returned to something more melodic and layered in recent years. David Keenan has said "No one is making synth music that feels so organic, so rapturous and so in tune with the contours of outer and inner space as Groetsch." -Aguirre.

"Following the much-loved Nova Scotian Arms/Motion Sickness Of Time Travel split LP on Aguirre, heres the second collaborative LP by the couple from LaGrange, Georgia. In a little over three years, the duo that comprise Quiet Evenings -- Grant and Rachel Evans -- have become two of the most prolific and active artists in the American underground. Each also has solo projects: Grants Nova Scotian Arms and Rachels Motion Sickness Of Time Travel. Between those as well as Quiet Evenings, theyve amassed well over 50 releases for various labels in various editions. They also co-run the Hooker Vision label, clocking up a similar amount of releases for other kindred spirits. On Impressions, both sides offer super-repetitive drone-work in the highest form. Outer-space that balances a slow pace with an incredibly intense inertia to evolve immediately, yet gracefully. With minimal instrumentation of guitars and synthesizers, the pieces on Impressions captivate the listener into the world theyve created. Far from the realm of pure ambient drift, subtle forces build within their disarming restraint and provide a stunning balance between light and shade. Quiet Evenings inhabit a ghostly space of unique elegance. This is a duo that can carry their craft well beyond standard shapes.
Repressed; 28th volume in the BYG Actuel series; gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl. "Originally recorded at Studio Davout in Paris on August 12th, 1969... the Art Ensemble Of Chicago stands out as one of the most influential and long-lasting avant-garde and free jazz bands of all time. 4 tracks." - Aguirre

"The classic minimal music album is now available again on vinyl for the first time since the 70s. During the 1970s, Californian composer Terry Riley concentrated on solo keyboard performances, continuing to make music yet writing down almost nothing. Riley selected a mode, chose a few motifs or basic patterns and then, seated on the floor in front of his audience, improvised on electronic keyboard. The electric organ, superseded at later concerts by a synthesizer, was portable and consistent. By the early 70s, Riley had come to feel that scores were a distraction. Faithful interpretation of an already written piece was a deviation from the true purpose of making music, which was spiritual quest. Fortunately, some of those live performances were captured on tape. Persian Surgery Dervishes, issued initially on the French label Shandar in 1972, features two such concerts for electric organ and reel-to-reel delay, one recorded in Los Angeles on April 18th, 1971, the other in Paris on May 24th, 1972. At the start of that decade, Riley became a dedicated student of the great Hindustani singer Pandit Pran Nath. Looking into North Indian classical tradition, he found correspondences to modal and cyclic ideas that he was already working on. In 1971, Riley started teaching Indian music at Mills College, in Oakland. That experience fed directly into his solo keyboard performances, but other influences were also shaping his music. Personal research into ancient Persian culture and the poetry of Rumi lit up his imagination, while the repetitive swirling of Sufi devotional music from North Africa and jazz, an enduring source of inspiration, reverberate through these performances. The Californian version of Persian Surgery Dervishes starts with low dark tones, dense and brooding like a huddled human figure, deep in introspection. But as the improvisation unfolds Rileys buoyant spirit asserts itself, spiraling out in ecstatic coils. The Parisian concert conveys a different mood, brighter and more open in texture, more relaxed from the outset and breathing with greater freedom as it takes flight. Persian Surgery Dervishes is a mesmerizing record of a vital stage in Rileys ongoing quest for connection with the universal mind and sublime music. "Music is my spiritual path. Its my way of finding out who I am." --Terry Riley, 1976 Includes insert with liner notes by Julian Cowley; Lacquer cut by Rashad Becker; Layout by Jeroen Wille; Remastered by Equusl; Licensed from FGL Productions; Edition of 1000." - Aguirre.

"A friend of Aguirre recalls meeting Tim Robertson by chance in a thrift store in Barcelona, while eyeing a dusty Hammond organ: "He was born in Honduras, but moved out of there at a young age to several other countries such as Perú, France, and Norway. His parents were devoted to some religious organization and they were spreading the word all around. The last place they were sent to was Barcelona, hence the reason he was there. He learned to play the keyboards as a kid and performed in church. He told me his life changed after spending some years in Niger and Ethiopia. He returned from that experience totally renewed and decided to somehow capture all the ideas he had during his stay in Africa. He bought an old four-track recorder and started jamming around the simple but complex idea of how church music in space would sound. During the next two years he got obsessed with creating the compositions of the future temples on Saturn and Neptune. He recorded hours and hours of music. In the end, feeling totally frustrated, he decided to throw to the bin all those tapes. Well, not all of them. Happily he kept two as a gift to his parents. Sadly, his parents passed away some years later. While cleaning their apartment he found the tapes and with the passing of time he decided to keep them as a memory of that crazy time. I was really curious about those tapes so I asked him if it would be possible to listen to them. After a couple of minutes I was totally captivated by them. It was so strange. The kind of repetitive music with cheap keyboard presets. So rough, basic, and fragile. It was then I told him that I felt more people had to listen to those recordings. After quite a bit of arguing, he finally accepted. At least Im sharing the word of God with more people, he said. So 20 years after they were originally recorded Im proud to share with everyone out there these seven tracks by a man who had a strange vision: compose the perfect soundtrack for the buildings where future space travelers would praise the lord. You can now judge with your own ears if he achieved his goal or failed. Peace!" Recorded in 1993. Remastered from the original tapes by Anders Peterson. Pressed on milky white vinyl. Artwork by Tim Robertson. Layout by Jeroen Wille. Limited to 300 copies." - Aguirre.

"EP/LP by Christelle Gualdi which compiles little masterpieces from the same time period when "Trilogy Tapes" was released. With influences ranging from new age to experimental electronic music Christelle creates a wonderful and carefully layered album. After the release of the Trilogy Tapes on Olde English Spelling Bee last year and the Rise In Planes from 2009 this is Stellar Om Sources second third vinyl release to date. More to come!Recorded in 2009 at Angel Transfer, The Netherlands. Full color thick cardboard sleeves, 160gr. vinyl." - Aguirre. Limited edition of 500 copies.

“Tarotplane is the solo project of Baltimore-based musician PJ Dorsey. First, his full-length debut, is a tremendous album etched on the great krautrock and experimental psychedelic records from the 70s. Vintage electronic sounds are mixed with effected guitar parts. It might sound quite familiar at first, but once one enters the heart of the album it all gets spectacularly exhilarating and effortlessly captivating, swirling around the listener. Records such as Franco Battiatos Pollution, Bill Holts Dreamies, Popol Vuhs Affenstunde, and Deuters D were strong influences. All of these artists use tape loops, environmental sounds, filtering, and other effect processing in an exceptional way. Their desire to create their own distinct sonic world was the driving influence behind this LP. These artists never let the experimentation get in the way of creating something musical, beautiful, and sonorous. First integrates those influences but it also has a more traditional psychedelic rock sound built into its sonic viewpoint. Dorsey seamlessly blends these diverse influences into a continuous flow. The album was originally going to be called Excursions, because Dorsey would walk for hours on Baltimores waterfront listening to fragments of his work, as well as samples from films and records, to find a balance that worked. The ultimate goal was to make what some would call a head record. Something you can listen to on your own personal excursions that evokes a distinctive and enjoyable sonic headspace.” - Aguirre.

"One of the most magical recordings youll hear this year is the first LP by UK-based, one-man transcendental-drone band Tuluum Shimmering. The sound of Tuluum Shimmering is like a sort of loop-driven, timeless ethnic music without a region or a tradition. An array of instruments (sampling keyboard, flutes, violin, kalimba, percussion) are run, via a mixer, through a multi-FX pedal into a 30-second looper, and out to an amp. Everything is recorded live, with no overdubs or mixing. Get ready for the take-off." -Aguirre.

"Biomechanoid is the classic 1980 album by composer and flutist Joel Vandroogenbroeck. Its 1980, in Munich, Germany. Upstart production music label Coloursound Library releases their debut album. Capitalizing on the success of Ridley Scotts Alien film, the label dropped Biomechanoid, featuring cover art commissioned by H.R. Giger -- whose horrific Necronom IV lithograph served as the basis for the design of Alien -- and the music of the relatively unknown Joel Vandroogenbroeck. Comprised of bleak, cinematic synth soundscapes and percussion, the album served as an inaugural calling card for what would be a decade of dizzying solo releases by Vandroogenbroeck for Coloursound, running the gamut from Mesopotamian ethno-folk to synth sequencer funk to electro drum breaks to in-utero ambient delights. Though the Belgian-born Vandroogenbroeck, 74, may not be a household name, in an ideal world, he would be. As the founder, flautist, harpist, sitar player and keyboardist of the seminal acid-fried Swiss psych outfit Brainticket, he spearheaded the groups three main (and collectible) releases in the early 70s -- Cottonwood Hill, Celestial Ocean, and Psychonaut. Combining a love of exotic instruments coupled with mind-bending out-of-body excursions, the ever-changing collective developed something of a cult following throughout Europe and earned a reputation as one of the heavier psych outfits on the circuit -- which was something of a double-edged sword. While their experimental sound resonated with hippies everywhere, it didnt with the authorities, who associated the act with heavy drug consumption and subsequently began a ban of their music, especially the Psychonaut album, if for the title alone. After that bitter brush with censorship, the group quietly disbanded in 1972. After the dissolution of Brainticket, Vandroogenbroeck departed for the island of Bali with the intent of learning to build and play the gamelan -- an ensemble of primarily percussion instruments from Indonesia. It would become yet another weapon in his ever-growing arsenal of exotic instruments: he was already proficient on the sitar, harp, kalimba, assorted percussion oddities and all woodwinds by this point. Vandroogenbroeck became so enraptured with the frenetic sound of the gamelan that he subsequently left the tropics to start up a joged bumbung (a variation on a gamelan) band back in Switzerland. While playing small festivals and civic events with this group, Joel began to slowly gravitate towards the synth-heavy Kraut sounds of artists like Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze at the same time. And once he began dabbling with oscillators, he never turned back. After inking a library deal around this time with the nascent Coloursound label, who gave him complete creative control, Vandroogenbroeck began turning out releases at a rapid rate, often three to five a year, and under a variety of aliases like V.D.B. Joel, J.V.D.B, and Eric Vann. Starting with the desolate synth drone of Biomechanoid, he continued to expand his sound palette while on Coloursound, moving from early arpeggiators on Computer Blossoms to percussive sound collage on Birth of Earth; and from Oberheim DMX drum breaks on Video Games & Data Movements to Apple II ambient programming on Digital Project. Biomechanoid stands after all these years as an album full of dark, strange, disturbing soundscapes, the obscure side of Brainticket, proving how Joel was still a creative artist. Matte finishing. Double-sided insert. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Edition of 500 copies." -Aguirre.

"Volume one of two. Continuous atmospheric sounds for enigmatic landscapes, metaphysical situations and prehistorical periods. The story continues. Aguirre released Joel Vandroogenbroecks first solo effort Biomechanoid in March 2014, an outstanding dark electronic ambient album. Now the label presents his two Meditations albums, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. In these library albums the emphasis lies on his flute talents, paired with some great Moog-y electronics and mellow pre-new age ambience. Both volumes still stand after all these years and prove Joels ability to create wonderful library albums. Think Klaus Schulze, Harmonia, JD Emmanuel and Joanna Brouk. Though the Belgian-born Vandroogenbroeck, 74, may not be a household name; in an ideal world, he would be. As the founder, flautist, harpist, sitar player and keyboardist of the seminal acid-fried Swiss psych outfit Brainticket, he spearheaded the groups three main (and collectible) releases in the early 70s -- Cottonwood Hill, Celestial Ocean and Psychonaut. Combining a love of exotic instruments coupled with mind-bending out-of-body excursions, the ever-changing collective developed something of a cult following throughout Europe and earned a reputation as one of the heavier psych outfits on the circuit -- which was something of a double-edged sword. While their experimental sound resonated with hippies everywhere, it didnt with the authorities, who associated the act with heavy drug consumption and subsequently began a ban of their music, especially the Psychonaut album, if for the title alone. After that bitter brush with censorship, the group quietly disbanded in 1972. After the dissolution of Brainticket, Vandroogenbroeck departed for the island of Bali with the intent of learning to build and play the gamelan -- an ensemble of primarily percussion instruments from Indonesia. It would become yet another weapon in his ever-growing arsenal of exotic instruments: he was already proficient in the sitar, harp, kalimba, assorted percussion oddities and all woodwinds by this point. Vandroogenbroeck became so enraptured with the frenetic sound of the gamelan that he subsequently left the tropics to start up a joged bumbung (a variation on a gamelan) band back in Switzerland. While playing small festivals and civic events with this group, Joel began to slowly gravitate towards the synth-heavy Kraut sounds of artists like Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze at the same time. And once he began dabbling with oscillators, he never turned back. After inking a library deal around this time with the nascent Coloursound label, who gave him complete creative control, Vandroogenbroeck began turning out releases at a rapid rate, often three to five a year, and under a variety of aliases like V.D.B. Joel, J.V.D.B, and Eric Vann. Starting with the desolate synth drone of Biomechanoid, he continued to expand his sound palette while on Coloursound, moving from early arpeggiators on Computer Blossoms to percussive sound collage on Birth of Earth; and from Oberheim DMX drum-breaks on Video Games & Data Movements to Apple II ambient programming on Digital Project." - Aguirre.

"Volume two of two. Continuous atmospheric sounds for enigmatic landscapes, metaphysical situations and prehistorical periods. The story continues. Aguirre released Joel Vandroogenbroecks first solo effort Biomechanoid in March 2014, an outstanding dark electronic ambient album. Now the label presents his two Meditations albums, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. In these library albums the emphasis lies on his flute talents, paired with some great Moog-y electronics and mellow pre-new age ambience. Both volumes still stand after all these years and prove Joels ability to create wonderful library albums. Think Klaus Schulze, Harmonia, JD Emmanuel and Joanna Brouk. Though the Belgian-born Vandroogenbroeck, 74, may not be a household name; in an ideal world, he would be. As the founder, flautist, harpist, sitar player and keyboardist of the seminal acid-fried Swiss psych outfit Brainticket, he spearheaded the groups three main (and collectible) releases in the early 70s -- Cottonwood Hill, Celestial Ocean and Psychonaut. Combining a love of exotic instruments coupled with mind-bending out-of-body excursions, the ever-changing collective developed something of a cult following throughout Europe and earned a reputation as one of the heavier psych outfits on the circuit -- which was something of a double-edged sword. While their experimental sound resonated with hippies everywhere, it didnt with the authorities, who associated the act with heavy drug consumption and subsequently began a ban of their music, especially the Psychonaut album, if for the title alone. After that bitter brush with censorship, the group quietly disbanded in 1972. After the dissolution of Brainticket, Vandroogenbroeck departed for the island of Bali with the intent of learning to build and play the gamelan -- an ensemble of primarily percussion instruments from Indonesia. It would become yet another weapon in his ever-growing arsenal of exotic instruments: he was already proficient in the sitar, harp, kalimba, assorted percussion oddities and all woodwinds by this point. Vandroogenbroeck became so enraptured with the frenetic sound of the gamelan that he subsequently left the tropics to start up a joged bumbung (a variation on a gamelan) band back in Switzerland. While playing small festivals and civic events with this group, Joel began to slowly gravitate towards the synth-heavy Kraut sounds of artists like Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze at the same time. And once he began dabbling with oscillators, he never turned back. After inking a library deal around this time with the nascent Coloursound label, who gave him complete creative control, Vandroogenbroeck began turning out releases at a rapid rate, often three to five a year, and under a variety of aliases like V.D.B. Joel, J.V.D.B, and Eric Vann. Starting with the desolate synth drone of Biomechanoid, he continued to expand his sound palette while on Coloursound, moving from early arpeggiators on Computer Blossoms to percussive sound collage on Birth of Earth; and from Oberheim DMX drum-breaks on Video Games & Data Movements to Apple II ambient programming on Digital Project." - Aguirre.

"This classic minimal music album is now available again on vinyl for the first time since the 70s. La Monte Young, widely acknowledged as the father of musical minimalism, is one of the most influential contemporary composers. Yet he has strictly monitored his own discography and his music is rarely heard. Born in a log cabin in rural Idaho in 1935, Young became a key figure in the New York underground art scene of the early 1960s. He made vital contributions to the Fluxus movement and initiated the use of lofts as performance venues. Most important of all, his exploration of sustained tones, unorthodox tuning, high volume, and long duration changed the course of 20th-century music and ushered in new ways of listening. This LP, initially issued on the French Shandar label in 1973, is a crucial document, preserving two manifestations of Youngs pioneering creative imagination. Its sounds lift the listener out of routine temporality into a prolonged and personal here and now; an intimate kind of time that no clocks can measure. The first side contains a performance by the Theatre of Eternal Music in which the voices of Young and his partner Marian Zazeela are combined with the trombone of Garrett List and the trumpet of Jon Hassell. Although the immediate impression created by the music is that it changes little, close listening reveals intricate activity in the high harmonics where unexpected patterns and phantom melodies skitter across the surface of the musics enveloping drone. Young and Zazeela developed their vocal technique through their intensive discipleship of North Indian singing master Pandit Pran Nath, and traces of that influence can be heard in their subtle ornamentation of the sustained tones. Unadorned sine waves form the Drift Study on the second side of the LP. To a seated listener this Drift Study seems a very pure form of minimalist musical drone, but if one moves around the space in which the piece is playing, dramatic variation in the loudness of different frequencies will become apparent, while the listeners movement will itself alter the structure of air molecules in the room, affecting the way the piece is heard. Its a fascinating probe into the nature of sound, hearing, and spatial awareness.” - Aguirre.
"My own feeling is that if people arent carried away to heaven Im failing" - La Monte Young, 1966.
First reissue. Edition of 1000. Remastered by Equus. Lacquer cut by Rashad Becker. Preserves original artwork. Includes insert with new, exclusive liner notes by Julian Cowley. Layout by Jeroen Wille. Includes download code.